I always worried about tasteful nails, tasteful hair, and tasteful clothes but a coworker with long, rhinestone-bedecked talons and waist-length fake hair is the golden child at work getting promoted. She even got caught smoking indoors and she's still the favorite. So I wonder these things matter at all...
I think it's just having the personality that people enjoy. I am business-like and not bubbly/effusive and the higher-ups seem to prefer bubbly.

If you seek a very elegant look, you need to have smooth skin on your hands, pay attention to nail shape and health, and highlight that lovely shape and natural healthy pink by polishing with a transparent gloss that will simply make your nails glossy. Sleep, good nutrition, protection from cold, dry air, moisturizer and perhaps supplements like biotin and keratin will do a lot for your skin, hair and nails.

If you are cursed with nails that can't quite get to that level, you can polish with something that is adjacent to natural.

If you just want put-together, not necessarily always ultra-elegant, you can pick whatever color that you feel compliments your skin tone or colors you habitually wear. You can change color palette with the seasons, and signal holidays with subtle glitter (large glitter pieces are more for parties, not work).

Anonymous wrote:I really like the dip - it last forever - in a neutral color. Agree that OPI bubble bath is always a classic.

So, dip nails do indeed last forever -- longer than gel. But the finished product is thicker (yes, even if you get someone who knows what they are doing) than a gel manicure, and I just don't like the look or even the way it feels. They are also even harder to take off than gel. Takes forever!!!!

Clean short unpainted is the norm in my industry (science related).

I really like the dip - it last forever - in a neutral color. Agree that OPI bubble bath is always a classic.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you need to keep this going a long time, and don’t want to pay weekly for a salon, try Ohora semi cured gels. They are pretty easy to apply, look good (but opaque, so not “nude” even if it’s a pale pink) and last for a week or more. They’re gel so they cure with a UV lamp but since they’re stickers, they just pop off (get the remover oil and a pack of wooden sticks from Amazon). It’s much, much easier than removing gel polish. Also when they do fail they tend to just pop off completely so then it’s fast to either replace the one that came off or take them all off. I’ve not noticed any damage to my nails and they keep them from breaking.

I don’t like getting manicures regularly and polish never lasts more than a day or two on me, but I really like these stickers.

I am interested in this. Reviews on Amazon seem all over the place, and I notice there is a type that works without UV lamp as well. Can you link to the ones you have had such good luck with?

I’ve only tried the normal Ohora ones (n cream light I think is my favorite). It cures with a lamp, the lamp is free with your first order. Keys seem to be 1) prep your nails and fingers with alcohol wipes 2) don’t overlap your skin at all by the cuticle or on the side
3) cure them longer than they say to, like 2 or 3 cycles of the lamp.

I also cut them close to size then cure them once before filing.

Anonymous wrote:If you need to keep this going a long time, and don’t want to pay weekly for a salon, try Ohora semi cured gels. They are pretty easy to apply, look good (but opaque, so not “nude” even if it’s a pale pink) and last for a week or more. They’re gel so they cure with a UV lamp but since they’re stickers, they just pop off (get the remover oil and a pack of wooden sticks from Amazon). It’s much, much easier than removing gel polish. Also when they do fail they tend to just pop off completely so then it’s fast to either replace the one that came off or take them all off. I’ve not noticed any damage to my nails and they keep them from breaking.

I don’t like getting manicures regularly and polish never lasts more than a day or two on me, but I really like these stickers.

I am interested in this. Reviews on Amazon seem all over the place, and I notice there is a type that works without UV lamp as well. Can you link to the ones you have had such good luck with?

Why do you need to wear nail polish? Just keep your nails nicely trimmed--and if you want to do something extra, use a buffer. Nail polish is not a requirement for looking profressional.

Any color or any shape but as long as they are clean and shortish. Nothing is more disgusting than excessively long nails.

Easy, pale, neutral nails are best IMO, unless you are religious about upkeep and never get chips.

I do Kiss Impress nails. They last quite a while on me. I get the short ones in light/neutral colors usually, and sometimes a darker red. They always look like gel manicured nails. The shapes fit may nails/hands well. I get compliments on how nice they look fairly often and requests for where I get them done, which is funny when I then tell people they're $10 press on nails. (this isn't happening at work, but socially)

I'm an executive at large defense company, so pretty conservative. Before people start howling about it being tacky or whatever, try and see if it works for you. I generally wear fairly high end clothes/shoes (Max Mara, Vernica Beard) so maybe that helps.

I do gel manicures every two weeks. I can't seem to keep regular polish on -- without multiple chips -- for more than like two days.

I keep my nails shortish, and do a square round shape.

Some of my favorite neutrals are OPI Bubble Bath, OPI Lisbon Wants Moor, OPI Let's be Friends, and OPI Don't Bossa Nova Me Around.

In Fall and Winter I like darker nails -- I like Malaga Wine and Lincoln Park After Dark (both OPI again) in particular.

I get gel manicures every two weeks and keep my nails short. Sometimes I have to file them before the next appointment, if they grow particularly fast. I get the squoval shape - square at the top with a bit of oval on the sides.

I also don't stick to neutrals (though I love them), but wouldn't do glittery hot pink right before a big meeting.

I do gel, but my nails are short. I HATE CHIPPED NAILS. They look so terrible. I also don't like when they grow out too much. I usually do a very light cream but only because you can't tell when they start to grow. I love different colors, but the new growth is really apparent.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wear DND She’s White? She’s Pink. It’s insanely boring but I have to have boring nails or I find them distracting. I don’t do gel, just regular polish. I typically go to the salon every two weeks to get a full manicure and polish change but do touch ups in between if necessary.

To add, I don’t get gel because I’m a nail biter and picker. I do okay when my nails are perfect but If it chips or lifts it’s game over and I need to be able to remove it ASAP to mitigate damage to my nail due to my neurosis. If regular polish chips I can remove it immediately with acetone. If gel chips it’s a whole production to remove without damage.

I'm a former biter and do powder for this reason. Regular nail polish lasts about a day or two and gel a week, so I probably also have oily nails like I do skin, but the powder is impossible to mess with.